In February 2024, Karl and I flew to Ahmedabad to attend Hack This Fall 4.0 as event partners/sponsors. We felt so thankful for the hospitality from the organizers and completely blown away by how excited and eager the hackers were to learn more about Vonage. However, one group from the Vonage track stood out to us, and we couldn't be more proud of them for building such a spectacular application in such a short amount of time. Ready to learn more about this team and what they built? Let's freaking go!
Vonage at Hack This Fall
The winning team of the Vonage track and 1st runner-up of the overall hackathon was PekaVengers! This team included Kailash Choudhary (Pune), Shubham Singodiya (Alwar), Vidip Ghosh (New Delhi), and Tirth Joshi (Ahmedabad). I was amazed when I learned these guys were complete strangers before the hackathon; each was just looking for a team to join and grouped up over a Discord channel. Karl and I were impressed that they met for the very first time in Gujarat since they were all from different states and had never worked together prior.
Their project name is Purrfect-Pal. Their application is a practical solution for pet owners to connect with temporary caretakers, addressing the challenge of leaving pets alone at home. Given the scenario where a pet owner must travel on short notice, they are forced to leave their pet behind while out. PekaVengers built an app with two-way video communication for owners and sitters who can watch their pet for them during their trip.
PekaVengers
You can find a video demo of their project on YouTube.
The team included impressive features and creative ways to integrate Vonage:
Aadhaar authentication: This is used for verifying people in India through a process that involves confirming an individual's identity based on their Aadhaar details, such as biometric information (fingerprint or iris scan) or a one-time password (OTP) sent to the registered mobile number.
Video chat section: The team used the Vonage Video API to allow the owner to meet and vet the sitter, communicate their requirements beforehand, and check on the pets while they are out.
Accepted request notification: The team used the Vonage SMS API to notify the pet owner when someone accepts their request for a sitter.
Add pet section: The pet owner is given an option to register their pet(s).
Petfolio page: Here, the sitters can find details on the pet that needs to be cared for.
PetList page: This page displays the list of pets available to be watched.
Adopt button: When the sitter clicks this button, they get a message saying "Adoption request sent."
When Karl and I were judging the projects, there were so many brilliant minds and talented people who used Vonage in their projects. What stood out to us about this team was their beautiful UX/UI, clean code, creative idea, and impressive implementation of the Vonage APIs. Though this part wasn't a determining factor, we loved their involvement with every Vonage challenge we gave the hackers during the mini-event.
There were so many awesome teams that built products worth spotlighting. Two projects stood out in particular, each for different reasons: Krishi Mitra and VoteChain! Krishi Mitra was in our Top 4 picks for the best project built using Vonage APIs. VoteChain was the only team that we judged that included hardware in their project. Here's more about the teams and how to give them kudos for their awesome hacks!
techhunterssss
Team members: Vinayak Gavariya, Manas Bhandari, Silky Modi, Tanmay Bhadviya
Description: Krishi Mitra addresses the challenge faced by rural Indian farmers with limited access to smartphones and the internet by providing a platform for agricultural education and guidance. It offers access to modern farming techniques, personalized mentorship, a 24/7 IVR helpline, and engagement with agricultural experts. By bridging the gap between traditional practices and modern advancements, Krishi Mitra empowers farmers to improve productivity, optimize resources, and enhance livelihoods.
Demo and links:
Devfolio: Project Overview
GitHub: Source Code Repository
YouTube video demo: Project Demonstration Video
Problems the project solves:
Equips farmers with educational resources regardless of internet access.
Connects them with mentors for guidance and support.
Facilitates asking farming-related questions to LLM Applications.
API Utilization: We utilized the IVR API provided by Vonage to enable farmers to access information via simple phone calls, bypassing the need for smartphones or internet connectivity.
Implementation Process: Integration involved incorporating Vonage's IVR API into the platform's backend infrastructure. This likely required setting up endpoints to handle incoming calls, configuring voice menus, and programming responses to user inputs.
Testing: Extensive testing was likely conducted to ensure the reliability and functionality of the IVR system. This would involve testing various scenarios, such as different user inputs and call conditions, to identify and address any potential issues.
Experience using Vonage:
Support and Resources: Throughout the integration process, we have relied on Vonage's support resources, such as documentation, tutorials, and developer forums, to troubleshoot issues and find solutions.
Feedback and Iteration: As they implemented Vonage into the platform, the team likely gathered feedback from users and voyage team then iterated on the IVR system to improve its usability and effectiveness.
Overall Experience: Despite the challenges, the team likely found Vonage to be a valuable tool for enabling access to the platform for users without smartphones or internet connectivity. The IVR system would have provided a reliable and accessible means for farmers to access agricultural information and support.
VoteChain
Team members: Aashutosh Soni, Aditya Paliwal, Aarav S Chouhan, Ved Sharma
Description: VoteChain is an innovative voting system that aims to update and secure the democratic process by integrating blockchain, IoT, and RFID technologies to achieve transparency, security, and efficiency in elections. The primary goals were to foster trust and encourage increased participation in the electoral system.
Demo & link:
This team impressively used hardware in their project. In their demo, they scanned an official ID, and on the small screen of their hardware, The screen prompted the user to vote by pressing the correlated button. They are then notified that their vote was counted through a message using Vonage. They scanned the ID again, and the screen showed they had already voted.
Problems the project solves:
Manual voting process, candidates posing allegations on Election Commission, little transparency, slower authorization, four to five weeks to declare results, duplication of votes, centralized system.
Features and use of Vonage:
Blockchain Transparency: VoteChain utilizes blockchain technology to create an immutable and transparent ledger of all voting transactions. Each vote cast is securely recorded on the blockchain, providing a verifiable trail of the electoral process and bolstering trust in the integrity of elections.
RFID Authentication: VoteChain implements RFID authentication for users to prevent unauthorized access and safeguard against fraudulent activities.
Anonymity Protection: VoteChain prioritizes voter privacy by generating random IDs mapped to each user. This anonymization process preserves voter identities' confidentiality while maintaining transparency and audibility in the electoral process.
Real-time Results: Leveraging the decentralized nature of blockchain technology, VoteChain delivers fast and accurate election results in real-time. By eliminating the need for centralized vote counting and verification processes, VoteChain accelerates result dissemination, fostering public trust and confidence in the electoral outcome.
Scalability and Accessibility: VoteChain promotes inclusivity and democratic participation. Its scalable architecture ensures the system can handle varying voting loads without compromising performance or reliability.
SMS notification: After submitting a successful vote, the user receives a message confirming this vote submission.
"In our project VoteChain, we've seamlessly integrated Vonage's messaging API to enhance user engagement and address challenges prevalent in India's conventional voting system. We used the official SDK from Vonage @vonage/server-sdk and the vonage.sms.send({to, from, text}) method. Leveraging Vonage enables us to send real-time SMS notifications to voters, confirming the successful completion of their voting. This addresses a common issue where voters lack timely confirmation of their vote's submission. By providing instant feedback to voters, we ensure transparency, accountability, and increased democratic participation. Vonage's reliability and scalability further strengthen our confidence in delivering SMS notifications across diverse voter demographics. Overall, our use of the Vonage API significantly improves the user experience, fosters trust in the electoral process, and contributes to the democratic fabric of our society."
Experience using Vonage: "The integration process has been smooth, thanks to Vonage's robust documentation. From signing up to availing credits utilizing the code to installing the relevant SDK for our project, everything went well. For a second, I had some issues sending messages. There were some restrictions on sending messages from India after a specific time; however, that issue was solved afterward. I was amazed exploring the features and possibilities of Vonage. I am planning more projects around Vonage."
It was no surprise that PekaVengers placed in the overall hackathon, and both techhunterssss and Geeks.js were worth a spotlight feature. Luckily, I caught PekaVengers for a quick video interview after all their "fans" finished taking photos with them. Everyone on these teams is incredibly talented and intelligent, and I really look forward to seeing them thrive in their future endeavors!
Hack This Fall 4.0 was a fabulous event for our team, and we can't wait to meet more of our developers at other events. Until then, follow us on X, formerly known as 'Twitter,' and join our Community Slack group. We love chatting with our developers and are always open to feedback. Cheers!
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